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Saturday, May 30, 2015

Another week and Kevin Owens just keeps dominating in WWE. He will be doing that on the main roster now as he gets called up in part to the Rusev injury. ROH and TNA have the same destination for the moment. ROH is now the lead in for TNA Impact on Destination America. All this and more along with our Elimination Chamber preview. We are a day late but we won't leave you a dollar short.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

When wrestling was at its peak was during the Monday Night Wars with WWE and WCW battling for viewers on a weekly basis. This is not news to anyone that is a wrestling fan. It has been talked about for 14 years since WCW went belly-up and purchased for an insane bargain price by Vince McMahon’s WWE.

The events of Wednesday are not exactly the start of the new Wednesday Night Wars. However, the fact that ROH has landed on the same network as TNA wrestling is quite amazing. Destination America and their displeasure with the relationship with TNA has been front-page news on most wrestling websites. It started with a report by Dave Meltzer saying that TNA will be losing their deal with Destination America in September. This led to a story about Dixie Carter sending out an angry email that she sent to the president of the network by mistake. This was quite similar to how TNA burned bridges with Spike by accidentally letting the fact Vince Russo was still working for company fall into the hands of a wrestling website. Spike wanted no part of Russo and while it was not likely, the main reason Spike said good-bye to TNA but perhaps a final straw.

Now enter ROH the main rival for second place in the wrestling business in North America into the mix. It appears Destination America approached ROH about a deal to air ROH on their channel. It seems like a move designed to stick it to TNA. When you consider it from ROH’s point of view it doubles their reach to somewhere around 100 million homes that ROH will reach starting June 3, 2015. You add the close to 50 million ROH already had with the 57 million Destination America has. It also gets ROH into key markets like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, which had long been a knock against the promotion. This is a huge deal for ROH regardless of what it means for TNA.

The deal is for 28 weeks that would extend beyond the cancellation date for TNA. Well the non-renewal of TNA as they prefer it be said but it amounts to the same thing.

It comes at a key time for ROH just weeks prior to their Pay-Per-View from New York Best in the World. It also comes as they just have a launched a line of action figures that is a result of a toy deal they signed last year. There is nothing but upside in this deal for ROH that it appears fell right in their lap. There was talk NESN was going to pick-up ROH that on its own would have been a big deal. Now with this deal it makes it unclear where that leaves the NESN deal. Probably kills it but regardless of if it does or does not this is a much larger scope deal for ROH.

In terms of TNA the company, that has had its obit or death notice written many times this seems like it could spell the end. TNA has been trying to spin this by welcoming ROH to the family on their now shared network. It was stated by MVP that talent knew nothing about the latest news that is par for the course for TNA. I would suspect TNA management knew nothing of this as well. It would be as if on a larger scale having the McDonalds being forced to work side by side with Burger King.

TNA was already trying to put out fires from their reported but demise on the network and now be hit with this. I have no idea of who the head of Destination America is, but I have to believe Vince McMahon would chuckle at how he handled this sticking it to TNA.

Triple H had talked about not feeling NXT was in competition with ROH by the recent touring of the brand. Well they now will share a television night much as they did the city of Philadelphia recently. Technically, they will run in direct competition with both airing at 8pm on Wednesday. Still with the on demand eliminate of the WWE Network this should not (pardon the pun) Impact on ROH to much. It might on the night of NXT Specials but on a week-to-week basis likely not. Even if it did there is still around 55-56 million people without the WWE Network as a potential audience for ROH.

This makes ROH the only wrestling company including WWE to be on both traditional over the air broadcast television and cable. WWE has not had that since Smackdown left the CW. Not that WWE is concerned, as Smackdown will be moving to USA in 2016.

Have we seen the final chapter in the Death of TNA book written? It sure seems that way based on this move by Destination America and no other network really interested in having wrestling at the moment. Isn’t that right Jeff Jarrett and Global Force Wrestling?

Perhaps on of the biggest days in ROH History is at the same time perhaps the final nail in the TNA coffin. Which as much as we hate to admit it was part of the appeal of the Monday Night Wars. It was about two companies going head to head trying to destroy each other directly or indirectly. This will not be a war with ROH and TNA as much as an awkward couple of months they find themselves being neighbors.

This was a mind-blowing story that was almost to amazing to believe. John Pollock and Court Bauer in provide some great follow-up on this about a 25-minute podcast. Court had worked with ROH as an advisory role up until March of this year. I recommend you give it a listen on MLW Radio or The Law.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Happy Memorial Day! Just as you think things in wrestling are slowing down after WrestleMania, you couldn't be more wrong. We just had Payback and the NXT Takeover Special last week. This Sunday is the Elimination Chamber on the WWE Network and coming up soon we'll be the Money in the Bank PPV! Lot's and lot's to get to and in this piece. I'll give you my thoughts on the current storylines heading towards the Elimination Chamber PPV + My predictions for the event and the five things you can expect on the go-home show for the Chamber on tonight's WWE Monday Night Raw from Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York.

1.) The WWE Tag Team Chamber Match
Last week on Raw we found out the following participants that will compete in the very first tag team elimination chamber match are: The New Day, The Ascension, The Lucha Dragons, Los Matadores, The Prime Time Players and Tyson Kidd & Cesaro. If you guys missed SmackDown this past Thursday? You missed a pretty sweet four corners tag team with Los Matadores, Lucha Dragons, The Ascension and Kidd & Cesaro. This match is so intruging since it's a first of it's kind and to think about 12 people in one chamber match. ALL HELL IS GOING TO BREAK LOOSE! I think for tonight we see probably a rematch from SmackDown or we'll see a massive 12 men tag team match with The Lucha Dragons tagging up with Kidd & Cesaro + Prime Time Players vs. The New Day, Los Matadores and The Ascension. You can even do a match between the Prime Time Players and The New Day. Many options, but very interested in seeing what they do for the build up for this tag team chamber match.

2.) Vacant IC Championship Chamber Match + WWE Divas Title Feud
As we move from one chamber match to another, we move to a division that's been in a state of flux in the past two months. With Daniel Bryan relinquishing the Intercontinental Championship. Who's going to be the guy to take Bryan's spot? We know that Dolph Ziggler, Rusev, Bad News Barrett, Ryback, Sheamus and R-Truth are in this Chamber Match. One of the major angles that came out of last week's Raw was the split between Rusev and Lana and this sudden pairing of Lana & Dolph Ziggler. Obviously it seemed like a lot of people didn't like this decision, but I can't judge a whole storyline off of one week of programming. For tonights Raw I think we see three matches. Ryback vs. Bad News Barrett, Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler and Rusev vs. R-Truth. Or you can do Rusev vs. Ziggler then you see a tag team match with Bad News Barrett & Sheamus vs. Ryback & R-Truth. Another cool thing that happen on Raw last week was the return of Paige. We found out that at the Elimination Chamber, Nikki Bella will be defending her WWE Divas Championship in a triple threat match with Naomi and Paige. Last week on SmackDown we saw a really good divas talking segment which I felt really helped out this feud.

3.) Owens vs. Cena I
It's been one of the biggest WWE news stories of the week! Kevin Owens made his WWE Raw "Debut" last week and laid out United States Champion John Cena. We also found out that the NXT Champion will be taking on John Cena this Sunday at the Elimination Chamber. It's not known as of now if the US Title will be on the line, so many differents ways you can go with this match. As much as it cool to see Owens be part of this show on Sunday, I'll like to remind everybody that he's not going to be part of the main roster after this show. I think this is going to be a one off appearance. Also like to remind everybody to be careful what they wish for. Owens and Cena will be a awesome match, but here's the question? Do you really think that Owens is going to beat Cena? Is John Cena "burying" a talent if Owens loses this match? Tonight's Raw is in Long Island and maybe this won't happen, but I think it's a good idea. So the US Open Challenge has been on fire these past two months and with it being at Nassau Coliseum what a better way to keep the momentum going with Zack Ryder accepting John Cena's challenge and while Ryder is walking down the steps you have Owens come out and lay out Zack Ryder! If Owens wins at the Chamber Cena will get the best of him on Raw tonight.

4.) Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins After threatening Seth Rollins last Monday on Raw and forcing The Authority to grant him a WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match against The Architect at WWE Elimination Chamber, Dean Ambrose succumbed to the numbers game as Kane, Rollins and J&J Security brutally attacked Ambrose. Putting an exclamation point on the carnage, Rollins hit Ambrose with Triple H’s signature Pedigree. Will this feud continue after the Chamber? That remains to be seen, but with what happen on Raw and then the continued issues Roman Reigns has with the Authority. I just wouldn't be surprised if we see that Shield triple threat match quicker then anybody expected it to be. I expect the deck to obviously be stacked against Dean Ambrose, but I think it's safe to say that Rollins will be walking out champion this Sunday. If Rollins gets the best out of Ambrose then there might be a chance, but I think this match was put on the Chamber Card to appease fans give them hope that Ambrose will be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. 5.) WWE Chamber 2015 Predictions - I see the New Day somehow retaining the Tag Team Titles over the Lucha Dragons, The Ascension, Matadores, PTP and Kidd/Cesaro - I see Sheamus winning the IC Chamber Match.- I see Nikki somehow retain the Divas Championship - I see John Cena beating Kevin Owens - I see Rollins once again get the best of Dean Ambrose I hope you guys enjoy this week's Raw preview. Enjoy your Memorial Day. Enjoy Raw and the Chamber. You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR Please check out my radio show the Pro Wrestling Experience every Wednesday from 10am-1pm CT on Chicagolandsportsradio.com

Friday, May 22, 2015

Kevin Owens had a better week than most people on the planet. While TNA finds itself back at square one with news they will likely be without a television partner come September. While ROH worries about what a mobile and touring NXT will mean for them.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Kevin Owens after laying waste to Sami Zayn with their match ending in a no-contest of sorts was confronted by Samoa Joe. Yes you heard that right Samoa Joe, not Joe Samoa or some other WWE re-branded name. He would come out and save Zayn from even more of a beating and get in the face of Kevin Owens.

Add him to the list of people on Owens plate, as Owens will face John Cena in a week and a half at Elimination Chamber. This all set up by his attack on Cena as he shocked the world coming out confronting him during Cena's U.S Open Challenge. Finn Balor has also earned the right for another shot at Owens being named the number one-contender last night defeating Tyler Breeze. Even William Regal might be a potential Owens opponent as he was headbutted by Owens in the chaos of people trying to stop Owens from continuing his attack on Sami Zayn.

If all of that isn't enough they had Hideo Itami get attacked in the parking lot and gave the impression that Owens may well have been the attacker. Setting up an Itami vs Owens match when he returns from shoulder procedure that is expected to put him on the shelf for 6 months.

As for Samoa Joe the day prior Triple H played things very cool admitting Joe had been to the performance center but he said they may have only talked for about five minutes. Joe also had independent bookings that went into June. This made many feel that all the speculation around Wrestlemania was perhaps not going to happen with him signing in the WWE. He had a brief run with ROH that ended just after that weekend.

What we didn't see on the NXT special was Joe speak but he did address the live NXT crowd after the show went off the air. Here is what he had to say in this WWE.com exclusive video.

Triple H was also asked about if he felt that NXT with developing and touring this new brand was not competition for Ring of Honor. He denied it was and that WWE's success helps all wrestling thrive. Tell that to ROH that is watching all of it's top stars become even bigger stars with WWE. The list grows longer with perhaps arguably the greatest ROH Champion of all in Samoa Joe who also has wasted many years working with TNA. The only feud that TNA ever had that was a huge draw saw Joe matched up with former WWE star and still with TNA Kurt Angle.

Joe is gonna kill you rang out from the NXT crowd as Owens decided he would wait for another day to deal with him. It really seems like NXT is becoming this super independent brand that is far from independent. I heard what Triple H said but you have to wonder how places like ROH and other top companies on the independents can hope to keep talent if NXT continues to move in such big and bold steps. Joe might not be the only one killing things at the end of it all.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

It was just over a year ago I met Kevin Steen and now he is of course Kevin Owens and he showed up on Monday Night Raw! This alone was reason to love this episode on Monday Night Raw but there was lots more reasons to love Raw as it turned out. For the second time in a month, Raw really hit a home run in my opinion. I was not as fond of Payback the event the night before but after this Raw, any thoughts of Payback were a distant memory. So let’s dive in and give you five talking points that made this Raw one of the best of the year. This was headlined by one of the best WWE debuts in perhaps the last 10 years.

Kevin Owens meets John Cena: This was as if some ROH fans dream come to life in the WWE. A year ago that is wear Kevin Steen was facing guys like Adam Cole and Shinsuke Nakamura. Last night he was in the ring face to face with as John Cena calls himself the man that runs the place that is WWE. Kevin Owens got the better of John Cena on the microphone and instead of answering the U.S Challenge like Neville and Zayn before him; he simply laid out John Cena. He stated that he would fight Cena on his own terms. Holding his NXT title high and stepping on the United States title.

As a Canadian the stepping on the U.S belt was a sign of the fact that Kevin is Canadian and he really has a chance now to be Canada’s big star in WWE like guys like Edge, Chris Jericho and Bret Hart and others have been in the past. Later in the night, Kevin announced that as he promised earlier he would fight John Cena but not on this night instead at the Elimination Chamber event in two weeks. For my money, this was one of the best WWE debuts in a long time. It easily was short of The Shield the best NXT debut we have seen. Kevin Owens is a guy who can deliver. WWE to this point has booked him as the massive star he truly was on the independent scene in North America and in ROH. This is something that never happened for the likes of Daniel Bryan, C.M Punk and others. Kevin is the right man at the right time to make a massive impact on the WWE. People talk about Finn Balor, Sami Zayn as big stars for WWE in the future. To me Owens is the safest bet they have to make a major impact and he showed that tonight.

Stephanie Returns To Raw: People may hate her but let’s be honest Raw is a lot more fun with Stephanie than without her. I just enjoy the hell out of her character and she was involved in to angles throughout the night. She ultimately ended up being forced into booking Dean Ambrose in a WWE World Title match with Seth Rollins. She also continues her feud with Brie Bella and now Nikki Bella by forcing Nikki to go out and defend her title alone. Suggesting that Brie might need some therapy with all she has gone through with her husband Daniel Bryan’s medical issues. No one pulls of fake sincerity like Steph. There are a million little things that Steph does that are truly great.

Lana and Rusev Soap Opera: It has been teased and rumored for a while that the break-up of Lana and Rusev was coming. A legit couple in real life saw their on screen partnership break apart. The final blow was Lana actually being the one to quit on behalf of Rusev at Payback. Rusev would come out with no Lana and eventually she would come out against his wishes. She stated that Rusev quit in his native tongue of Bulgarian. Rusev denied it, called her weak, and sent her to stepping. Later in the night, Lana would return and get in a lip lock with Dolph Ziggler, which would lead to Rusev coming out and getting involved with Dolph. Both will be participants in the Elimination Chamber match for the vacant I-C title. A nice sub-plot to the larger match that will also see Sheamus, Ryback, R-Truth and King Barrett take part in. I would assume Ziggler will Americanize Lana and work a program with Rusev coming out of Elimination Chamber regardless of if either wins. Rumors have been that Sheamus will ultimately win this match. This is based on him being billed as the reigning I-C champion for an upcoming event.

New Day: Continues to Suck Impressively: The New Day got a controversial win as Kofi and Xavier Woods performed “Twin Magic” to win the final fall of their match with Cesaro and Kidd at Payback. They would be forced to defend the titles again with Woods banned from ringside on Raw. It would merely be the set up to the first ever Tag-Team Elimination Chamber Match. Other teams involved beyond the two mentioned include a cast of jobber teams. Los Matadors, The Ascension, The Prime Time Players and Lucha Dragons will all be in this match. Expect New Day to find a way to beat the odds and retain. These there guys have really embraced this role as over the top baby faces that are in reality massive heels. One of the biggest turnarounds of a bad gimmick in wrestling that I can personally recall. New Day Rocks at Sucking and the fans love to hate them.

No Reigns, No Orton, and No Problem: Payback saw both Roman Reigns and Randy Orton in the main event but nowhere to be found on Raw the next night. This left the stage open for Dean Ambrose to swoop in and get his title shot with Seth. Reigns was promoted as returning on Smackdown and there was no mention of Orton at all who took the pin in the fatal-four way match. The show didn’t miss either as it worked out very well without them allowing the Owens’ debut and Ambrose title opportunity to get their shine. What Roman and Randy are doing for Elimination Chamber may not be decided yet or it can get its own stage on Smackdown to announce that. It was the right call to give both the night off.

This was one of those Raw shows that suck you back in as a disgruntled fan. Kevin Owens had one of the best debuts in a long time probably since The Shield arrived and Dean Ambrose got a chance to return to the main event scene. It really seemed like a show that was designed for the hardcore fan base there was a ton of promotion for the NXT Unstoppable card this Wednesday on the Network. It was mentioned a ton in and based around the Owens appearance. No one loved this Raw more though than Owen Steen the son of Kevin who was surprised to find out his dad was fighting John Cena. When Kevin first signed in NXT and had to move his family to Orlando Owen’s question for his dad was when was he going to get to fight John Cena? The answer is May 31st at Elimination Chamber.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Oh Yeah Brother! Welcome to this week's WWE Monday Night Raw Preview brought to you by Condo On The Moon my name is Joshua Lopez. Lot's and lot's to get to because we're just coming off the heels of the WWE Payback PPV, we got the NXT Takeover Special coming up this Wednesday and Elimination Chamber returns in 13 days. In this piece I'll give you my thoughts on the WWE Payback PPV from Baltimore. I'll also talk about who will be in the two Elimination Chambers Matches and where does John Cena and Seth Rollins go from here? Here's five things to expect on the WWE Payback Fallout edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.

1.) WWE Payback Fallout + Thoughts
Well I enjoyed Payback last night. I thought overall the show surpass expectations and with the fact it only had a three week set up I thought the payoff for Payback was well done. Some rapid fire thoughts.

-I don't know why R-Truth/Stardust was added to the pre-show? What's next for Cody?

-I don't think The Meta Powers will last long.

-I loved the opener from Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler very physical opener these guys have amazing chemistry.

-Once again the tag team championship match delivered. I never get tire of seeing The New Day vs. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro. Very interested in seeing how they set up this tag team Elimination Chamber Match.

-I loved the slugfest between Bray Wyatt and Ryback. Way better match than I thought it was going to be. I like both guys and even though there wasn't any reasonable "storyline" behind this feud I enjoyed the match it had a nice old-school flare to it.

-Cena and Rusev capped off their feud in high fashion. Entertaining and physical I Quit Match.

-I thought the Divas Tag Team Match wasn't that bad it's just their positioning on the PPV is always after a match that the crowd absolutely loved and they were burnt out.

-Neville/Barrett was solid I wished it had more time, plus with the IC Chamber Match coming up soon I understood the countout finish and neither guy was negatively effected.

-I loved the main event! Glad we got Kane's decision out of the way. I thought Roman and Dean stood out the most in this match. Rollins is a tremendous heel. Randy Orton once again shining on a major stage, The Shield's semi tease reunion was nice and the crowd was hot for that. I didn't mind the finish cause Rollins is part of The Authority and even with the fact that he can't use the Curb Stomp that doesn't mean he can't use the Pedigree or a RKO or even a Chokeslam. Rollins was the right guy to win this match and it was one of the better Fatal Four Way that i've seen.

2.) Elimination Chamber Match for the Vacant Intercontinental Championship
We're just about 13 days away from the Elimination Chamber PPV. We know that for the first time since 2012 we'll have two Elimination Chamber matches and one of them will be for the vacated Intercontinental Championship. I'm firguing for tonight there will be a series of Elimination Chamber Qualifying Matches. I can see Bad News Barrett, Sheamus, Neville, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Bray Wyatt added to this Chamber Match. Less is more, but at the same time I think it would be in the best interest for this Wyatt/Ryback feud to be put in place in that Chamber Match. If Ryback has broken ribs that's rather unfortunate. At the same time don't be surprise if guys like Stardust or R-Truth will be added to the Chamber Match. Both Stardust and Truth have experience in the Chamber Match.

3.) Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship

We found out last night the New Day will be defending their WWE Tag Team Championships inside the Elimination Chamber. I have absolutely no idea what will be set up for this particular Chamber and I LOVE IT! There's so many options here and that what's make this Chamber very very interesting. Obviously if we're going to do six teams I'll list i here. Kidd/Cesaro, The Prime Time Players, Lucha Dragons, Harper & Rowan and The Ascension. Either way this could be the best thing for the tag division not only are these teams are getting opportunity, but their are being showcased in one of the most popular matches in the WWE, so I'm very interested to see what they do tonight on Raw with the set up for this Chamber Match.

4.) What's next for John Cena?
I really enjoyed the Rusev and John Cena feud and now that it's over; What's next for John Cena? We have 13 days before Elimination Chamber arrives. The John Cena US Open Challenge has been awesome. Here's a idea. I know that this will be out of left field, but it works since there's only two weeks to setup the PPV and I think it would be "best for business" to have a John Cena US Open Challenge at the Chamber. It brings anticipation for the PPV and the opens up the window for countless superstars or maybe even returning superstars to take on Cena at the Elimination Chamber. For tonight I think we'll see John Cena vs Luke Harper or Dolph Ziggler.

5.) What's next for Seth Rollins?
Another PPV and Seth Rollins is still your WWE World Heavyweight Champion! It was "reported" that Rollins will be defending his world championship at the Chamber, but it's not in the Chamber match. I would be shocked if were swerved and the championship is defended in the Chamber, but coming out of this Fatal Four Way match. Where does WWE go with this World Title Picture? I think it would be too soon to do the Shield triple threat match ESPECIALLY with a free month of the Network in May. That match should be not be FREE it has money written all over it. Orton tooked the pin last night, so I think he may be done in this world title picture for now. I'm going to give you guys three options for Seth Rollins at Elimination Chamber. Will Triple H talk about Rollins using the pedigree? For Raw tonight expect ALOT of gloating and trolling in this opening segment.

-Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

-Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns

-Seth Rollins vs. Kane

I hope you guys enjoyed this week's RAW preview article.

Raw is in Richmond, Virginia and it's a old-school NWA Territory, so don't be surprised if the crowd is flat tonight.

You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

Follow us on Twitter @CondoOnTheMoon and check out our most recent podcast.

Friday, May 15, 2015

We go off on Macho Mandow being worse than the Nacho Man. We run trough all the action at ROH War of the Worlds and NXT in Philly and we as required by some law preview Payback. We also talk about Ronda Rousey and her thoughts on WWE return as she does her book tour.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Welcome to this week's edition of the Monday Night Raw preview brought to you by Condo On The Moon. Last week's Raw from Montreal was alot of fun. Well, not if you ask Vince Russo because according to him unless the show is just like the Attitude Era it's not worthy to him. I hope Russo knows that the WWE has been using his format for RAW for the past 18 YEARS!!!!! We're 6 days away from the third annual WWE Payback PPV. Dean Ambrose is now part of the main event at Payback. The mid-card continues to shine and improve each week. Sami Zayn accepted John Cena's US Open Challenge and killed it. Tonight's Raw is from the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. I remember last time a RAW was in Cincinnati the Raw set went on fire hopefully that's not the case, but the show should be since we're on the go-home to Payback. Here's five things you can expect on this week's WWE Monday Night Raw.

1.) Rusev vs. John Cena "I Quit" Match
Coming up on Sunday will be the final chapter of the Rusev/John Cena rivalry. This feud has been of the better and interesting John Cena feuds that went onto multiple ppv's. I like the subtle approach to this match. There's nothing major you need to add onto this match. We know what's coming it's going to be a very phsyical drawn out match and we'll see whether Rusev or Cena will walk out of Baltimore with the United States Championship. The split between Rusev and Lana is interesting and I like how all these "expert" wrestling podcast hosts don't know where the tension between Rusev and Lana is coming from. If you were paying attention to the shows before Mania Lana show compassion for Rusev when she accepeted Cena challenge for Rusev for WrestleMania. Rusev was mad and sent her home for a couple weeks. When she came back she became a sympathetic character and she was scared of Rusev lashing out at her. Whether or not the rumors of Lana turning face or not are true I'm very interested in seeing the finish of this Payback match. The John Cena US Open Challenge with Sami Zayn was awesome. We called Bret Hart coming out on last week's Raw preview. For tonight here's a list of potential opponents for John Cena: Luke Harper, Heath Slater or Dolph Ziggler. I think it will be important for Cena to get to the advantage of Rusev this time. If Rusev lays out Cena on Raw you'll know that Cena will retain at WWE Payback.

2.) Fatal Four Way Shenanigans
Last week on Raw we saw the announcement that Dean Ambrose will be part of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WWE Payback. Ambrose and Rollins had a stellar match on last week's Raw. There's continue tension between Randy Orton and Roman Reigns. This Fatal Four Way Match at Payback can go in so many different directions and that's why I feel that this year's Fatal Four Way Match is more interesting then the one from last year's WWE Battleground. Here's the thing we know that all former Shield members are part of this match which is interesting for the fact that the Raw after Payback was when Shield disbanded when Rollins turn heel and join The Authority. Last week on SmackDown during the Payback Contract Signing, Rollins laid everybody out. For tonight's Raw I think we'll see Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton. We'll probably see more issues between Rollins and Kane with The Authority coming back. Very interested in seeing what does Stephanie and Hunter have in mind for Raw this week, so don't be surprise if the entire Authority starts off this week's Raw. One way or another either Roman Reigns or Randy Orton will need to be standing tall as Raw goes off the air.

3.) Daniel Bryan + WWE Intercontinental Championship Picture
I have a feeling that Daniel Bryan will be part of tonight's Monday Night Raw. It's been about a month since we've saw the Intercontinental Champion and here's the thing. I love the guy, but can we really buy that this guy will ever be part of a WrestleMania event again? You can't trust this guy and his body. According to some outlets Daniel Bryan will be making his return on RAW tonight and is expected to compete at Payback. Good news and one would suggest that Bryan would defend his IC Championship against "King" Bad News Barrett. Could you picture a Bryan/Neville feud down the road for the IC Championship? I'm very interested in seeing where this goes for Bryan. Will this be a one off? Will Bryan come back just to lose to Barrett and go back to the DL? We'll see what happens at Payback, but it will be great to see Bryan back on the show tonight.

Since obviously I will not be part of the podcast this week. I will give you my predictions for Payback.

I got Rollins retaining, but with Reigns turning heel. I got Cena winning the "I Quit" Match. I got Sheamus beating Dolph Ziggler, I got Bryan retaining against Bad News Barrett, I got Bray Wyatt beating Ryback, I got Nikki retaining the Divas Championship, I got The New Day retaining the Tag Team Championship, I can see the Prime Time Players winning the number one contendership match. I'm looking forward Payback. It will be interesting to see how the PPV goes since this is the first Payback that will not be taking place in Chicago. Baltimore is another great old-school wrestling town and I have no doubts that they'll be a tremendous crowd. Having this PPV there will give those people something to smile about even with the terrible things that are going on in Baltimore.

That's a wrap for this week's WWE Monday Night Raw Preview. I hope you guys enjoy Raw and Payback.

Friday, May 8, 2015

Matt Taven has added some gold in Japan since he last stopped by the podcast. Taven and Bennett get ready for a busy week as ROH and NJPW come together for 4 shows next week in Philadelphia and Toronto

Thursday, May 7, 2015

To say it has been an exciting and eventful thirtieth year for Kevin Steen. He started the year finishing-up a long run in Ring of Honor and being a part of their first ever-live PPV. He from there would go onto what amounted to a good will tour from independent company to independent company across the North America. A notable stop in the journey was in PWG where he claimed he was off to help El Generico with the orphans in Mexico. Other claims were he was going to be a whale trainer at Marineland.

In reality none of these was the truth, everyone was in on the gag as rumors of Kevin taking his talents to Florida, and NXT to be a part of the WWE had been flying around before this exodus tour began. Kevin left everything he knew for a chance to cash in a dream in the WWE. He packed up his family and moved to Florida.

Many of his fans worried what the WWE could do to screw up Kevin and thus lose the performer they loved. To be honest not a lot has changed he is still Kevin to this day now with the last name Owens instead of Steen. This was in tribute to his son and the late Owen Hart. Once in the system Kevin really worked hard, embraced the training, and has transformed his body to some degree. He looks in the best shape he has in a long time. He would enter NXT to heroes welcome and despite getting his nose busted up would defeat C.J Parker and it was a familiar sight with a bloody faced now Kevin Owens with his hand raised. He would end that night coming out to congratulate Sami Zayn who he had wrestled with for almost his entire career. It was a genuine and real moment between the two.

We got the happy conclusion that I don’t think many expected but in an instant that would not be the case. He would attack Zayn and lay out the New Champion and demand a title match, which he would get two months after his debut.

Along the way, Kevin showed all his talent in and out of the ring. He was still very much the same guy we had all seen in ROH and elsewhere in his independent career. He would alter his move set and have to do away with several of his moves he used on the independents. The Package Piledriver is not happening in a WWE ring. F-5even said in French belongs to a guy named Brock Lesnar. He would still have his corner cannonball and a pop-up power-bomb as his finish. He also was given a devastating Power Bomb to the ring apron that he used to take out Sami Zayn and has used it since on several NXT performers.

It would shock everyone when Owens would win the NXT Title in a match where he dominated in such a dominate fashion that it rivaled the beating that Brock Lesnar put on John Cena to win the WWE Championship at Summerslam. Fitting enough the many being marked with a simple K.O T-shirt won the title by TKO laying out his best friend with no remorse.

Owens motivation for what he is doing he has claim is a better life for his family. This is the part where the story of the wrestler and the real life of the wrestler have merged. Kevin is clearly a heel but he speaks a real truth in what he is saying.

Aside from a minor knee injury, it has been all systems go for the Champ. His upcoming re-match with Sami Zayn is now up in the air with an injury to Zayn this past Monday. Kevin has been great at everything he was \before he got to WWE. The real shock it WWE is letting him do it all and so quickly. He has appeared on commentary many times and it led to a side feud with Alex Riley. He verbally killed Riley on show, on commentary and even on Twitter completely owned him.

It has been an eventful and great year for Kevin Steen. Having met him, he such a wonderful and nice person it makes the smile you have for his success a little bigger. Kevin Steen has deserved all of the success that has come his way.

So... with all this said we wish the NXT CHAMP a Happy Birthday and look forward to what he will do in the next year to top this one. Trust me when I say he will find a way to top it. It wouldn’t shock anyone to see him make his way to the main roster in this next year. When that moment happens, Kevin will rise to the challenge as he always does. Kevin Owens is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

It has been awhile since a Raw has warranted conversation to any degree. Last night’s Raw in Montreal was easily the best of 2015 and the best in a long time in general. You had a crowd in Montreal that is always ready to be a part of the show good or bad. We had a massive debut, a couple great in-ring matches and a return of a forgotten Diva. A Raw show that actually managed to entertain throughout the three hours. A whole lot of New Day: It seems the WWE has a brand new shinny toy in the NEW DAY. While their transition to full out heels has been enjoyable, there is something to worry about still. I fear the WWE could over expose them and eventually burn out what is a pretty organic and fan invented concept. WWE is famous for these kind of things. Want proof we are talking about the New Day and not the Bray Wyatt promo he cut on Ryback. Wyatt was pumped out there weekly cutting promos and now what was special has become played out. New Day was on more segments than almost everyone short of Kane and Seth Rollins. I am in the spirit of New Day going to try to stay positive, but I see a problem with them being used as much as they have been. Less is more at this point now that fans get the gimmick and are on board with it.

John Cena vs. Montreal: The moments we give John Cena credit in Condo on the Moon have been few and far between. Maybe I am getting soft with all of these open challenges but I really thought Cena did a great job with his promo faced with a hostile Montreal crowd that hated him. He allowed the crowd to have their voice but patiently stuck to his plan and points and even used the audience to drive home that point. I actually thought Cena did a great job at getting the crowd to calm down only to explode later when his opponent would be announced. A serious John Cena is better than an attempting to be funny one. This program with Rusev has seen for the most part that serious John Cena. The telling jokes and not taking things serious John Cena is why crowds of people love to chant he sucks. Well it is one of the reasons they do anyway. I admit that Cena with this U.S challenge has tapped into something where I am not wishing him not be on my television screen. He has also been a very giving performer in matches allowing his opposition to get the full benefit of being in the ring with him. I am not running to Shop WWE to buy my John Cena T-shirt but I do respect what he has done on T.V since Wrestlemania.

Sami Zayn Gets a Hero’s Debut: In retrospect, it seemed logical but it really was genuine surprise to see Sami Zayn be the one to answer the Cena challenge for the U.S title. Not just John Cena, but also having Bret Hart introduce him gave him the rub. It made for an instant Canadian hero that we have been missing for a long time. Sami was able to get in an almost all of his spots and kicked out of a Cena attitude adjustment. It was a debut that was handled excellently and even better than the recent debut of Neville. I would imagine the shoulder injury that seemed to be “worked,” will see if it factors into the Owens vs. Zayn match coming up on the NXT special. Once that is done I think that will be the end of Sami on the NXT roster and he will move full time to the main roster. He clearly did everything right to earn a spot on the roster tonight. He also is a guy that can fill the role that is lacking with Daniel Bryan out for who knows how long. Sami like Bryan is that rare underdog baby face that in 2015 people are willing to get behind. It was a great debut for Zayn that has been long overdue but given the circumstances was worth the wait. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins Never Gets Old: some match-ups never get old, you can go back to them repeatedly, and they produce. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose is one of those combinations for the WWE. We often complain how feuds drag on in WWE with the most recent example of that being Cena and Rusev. When Seth and Dean were paired together, they had a feud of similar length and it never got stale or boring. Having a solid break and bringing this rivalry back from out of the blue was welcomed. These two guys had perhaps the best T.V match of the year on this show. I could watch these two guys go any night of the week because they find a way to make every match unique and enjoyable. In Ring of Honor, I have said the same about the tag team feud between ReDragon and the Young Bucks. Certain guys just have magic when they hook-up in a ring and Dean and Seth are two of those guys. Divas Family Feud: The Bellas got jumped from behind as the strange attempt to make the Bella’s baby faces. Naomi came out with a returning Tamina took out the Bellas. Naomi is related to Tamina by marriage, which is the reason for two coming together. Tamina was last paired with A.J Lee and suffered an ACL tear and has been on the shelf for about a year or a little more. I am not sure what I think of this new pairing but Naomi has really embraced this heel turn and inside of three weeks has really re-invented her character and she deserves a lot of credit for that. Making the Bella’s faces is the real issue with all of this. I just can’t buy Nikki or Brie as babyfaces.

There was actually more than five points to talk about from this show. When is the last time we could say that? Cesaro gets an honorable mention for his in-ring work in a match with The Ascension who came out of the mothballs in Montreal. He was on fire landing European uppercut after European uppercut from corner to corner. It was one of the more unique spots we have seen in the WWE in-ring on a longtime.

It was an exciting night that reminded us all why we watch this stuff. I would love to say this is turning a corner but I suspect it will be back to the usual program that bores us to tears most weeks. I would love to be wrong but tonight was one of those perfect storms where you had a great crowd and WWE booked a show that would thrive in that environment.

I am sure a few weeks from now will have forgotten this show and be back to wondering why Dean Ambrose was even given a shot at the title. Where did that Sami Zayn guy go on Raw? How many times as Neville lost now? Why on earth did they break-up Lana and Rusev? On this night, we got a great show and should be thankful for that, I guess. The key is stringing a few of these shows together and building some momentum. This is what has been lacking in the WWE for a long time. They have failed to put together a solid week-to-week product or stringing together a few special events in a row.

One last thing am I the only one that finds Ryback's promos strange and just don't make me like him at all?

Monday, May 4, 2015

Welcome to this week's Monday Night Raw preview brought to you by Condo On The Moon. We're on the fast road towards the third annual WWE Payback PPV which is taking place in Baltimore on May 17th. As things are getting crazy in the city of Baltimore the same can be said for the WWE right now. Last week found out two major main events for this year's Payback PPV. There's still issues withthin the Authority. Bray Wyatt finally revealed who he was speaking about. We have a new King of the Ring Winner. Let's take a look at the five things you can expect to see on tonight's WWE Monday Night Raw from Montreal, Canada.

1.) Kane & Seth Rollins Issues + Triple Threat Match at WWE Payback

Ever since WrestleMania has come to an end, Kane and Seth Rollins have been arguing on every single edition of Monday Night Raw. Kane and Rollins have interwine with each other to the point Kane played a pivotal part in Seth Rollins retaining the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules. Check out the clip above this is a interview that Kane conducted with Michael Cole and he spoke candidly about Rollins. Last week on Raw we saw Kane & Rollins vs. Reigns & Orton and earlier on the show Kane revealed that the WWE Universe would have the opportunity to decide with match Rollins would have at WWE Payback. We found out that Rollins will be in a triple threat match with Roman Reigns and Randy Orton. Fun fact this will be the third straight year that Rollins, Orton and Reigns will be in the same match together at a WWE Payback PPV. Tonight on Raw I can possibly either Kane vs. Randy Orton and then Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins OR you can see Roman Reigns & Randy Orton vs. Kane, Rollins and JJ Security. I think it will be important to have either Rollins or Orton go off air on top looking strong.

2.) John Cena vs. Rusev "I Quit" Match

In recent history John Cena has never loss a "I Quit" Match and obviously it's seems like Cena will beat Rusev and once again retain the US Championship at WWE Payback. Raw is in Montreal this week and I'm not saying it's official or anything, but it would be something that would really help this feud out. I say while Cena goes out and issues his open challenge you have Bret "The Hitman" Hart come out and talk to John about how Rusev is on a road rage and you need to be concern about him. Rusev comes he and Cena get into a brawl. Rusev lays out Bret Hart with the Accolade. Bret Hart and John Cena on screen have been close friends for years and what a better way to get HEAT on Rusev then layout the Canadian hero on Monday Night Raw.

3.) Bray Wyatt vs. Ryback + What's next for Dean Ambrose?
Usually when a new feud starts with stars from the main roster they usually have the "first" match on Raw, so that's why I feel we'll see Ryback vs. Bray Wyatt on Raw tonight. As much as I like the backstage promos from Wyatt it could be really hard to understand what he says. I rather see him cut a promo with Ryback in the ring and let us know why your going after Ryback. Is it because he bullied your brother? Is their a new family? Did Ryback do you wrong? Lots of questions, but that's what intrigues me about that feud you don't have the answer and we'll see if this is a one off at Payback or goes longer after that. What's next for Dean Ambrose were just about 7 weeks away from the Money in the Bank PPV and Ambrose is one of those guys who's looking to find his way back to the main event scene in the WWE. I see Ambrose continuing his feud with Harper and they'll have another hardcore match at Payback and Ambrose will move on forward to the next big thing.4.) King Bad News Barrett

Bad News Barrett became the first King of the Ring winner in 5 years. I'm very interested in seeing where this King gimmick goes with Bad News Barrett. It could be some epic heel stuff, but here's the question. What the hell is going on with Daniel Bryan? We got barely a update from Brie Bella on last week's Raw, but we don't even know what the injury is now. Barrett is entitled to a championship rematch with Daniel Bryan he didn't get the match at Extreme Rules. I can see Barrett declare that he wants his rematch at Payback and if he doesn't get it he'll be declared the new Intercontinental Champion. In the mean time I think there's still weight in having a solid mid-card feud with Neville. I can see on Raw tonight you have Dolph Ziggler & Neville vs. Sheamus & King Bad News Barrett.

Friday, May 1, 2015

We get more controversial than these two did on Thursday. Which isn't saying much. We get into all the rest of the week's news in pro wrestling. So sit back and enjoy an hour plus that will include not Chris Jericho butt kissing we guarantee you 100%.